first-foot

American  

[furst-foot] / ˈfɜrstˈfʊt /

noun

1. the first person to cross the threshold of a house on New Year's Day.

2. the first person met after starting out on the day of an important occasion.

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verb (used with object)

1. to enter (a house) first on New Year's Day.

verb (used without object)

1. to be the first to enter a house on New Year's Day.

first-foot British  

noun

1. the first person to enter a household in the New Year. By Hogmanay tradition a dark-haired man who crosses the threshold at midnight brings good luck

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verb

1. to enter (a house) as first-foot

Other Word Forms

• first-footing
  noun

Etymology

Origin of first-foot

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

What need we say more—before the New Year came, they went down to Scotland a wedded pair, to be his mother's first-foot in the farmhouse, which had been rebuilt.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 10 by Various

It was evident she had set him down in her mind as an unlucky first-foot.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 10 by Various

My mother made up her mind that this was a most unfortunate first-foot, and that something serious would occur in the family during that year.

From Folk Lore Superstitious Beliefs in the West of Scotland within This Century by Napier, James

An unlucky "first-foot" brings misfortune with him or her, but a lucky "first-foot" introduces prosperity.

From The Mysteries of All Nations Rise and Progress of Superstition, Laws Against and Trials of Witches, Ancient and Modern Delusions Together With Strange Customs, Fables, and Tales by Grant, James, archaeologist

But our business at present is with the first-foot, and we must hold.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 10 by Various